Hero of the Heleus Cluster
by Jaal Ama Darav
Summary: It's all come down to this. If he failed here, all was lost.


**Hero of the Heleus Cluster **

**A/N-** **1,000 words or less challenge prompt fic. Prompt was "Showdown!" **

**While I loved Mass Effect: Andromeda's ending, there was one disappointment like with Halo 4- no final fight with the main villain of the game. So, this fic is a little taste into correcting that. **

**There's a line inspired by Voldemort from Harry Potter somewhere in the fanfic, can you find it? **

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Jaal Ama Darav's back was against a gray Remnant blast shield, out of the Archon's line of sight; sweat on his purple skin, rofjinn torn, and armor damaged.

Sakura Ryder, his darling one, laid on the ground in front of him; barley conscious. She had taken a hit from an horrific technique of the Archon's which caused cellular degeneration. He could see the wound on her chest had turned a sickly gray-black.

SAM intoned through Jaal's comms. "The most likely way to halt the cellular degeneration and save her is to kill the Archon."

Jaal's blue eyes looked into Sakura's matching eyes, expression one of anguish and worry. His hand gently caressing her black hair and face, her chocolate brown skin having paled as a result of degeneration slowly spreading through her body. "Darling one, please hold on."

Sakura's voice was very weak. "Jaal...please don't die."

The Angara heard the Archon's taunting voice. "You have no idea of the horrors I will inflict on your family, Darav!"

Jaal's vision turned blue, his bioelectric aura flaring up. He spun out of cover and stood up. "I will not," His aura flared up to an intense blue and his eyes glowing blue. "let you touch my darling one, my family, or my friends again!"He unsheathed his firaan and infused bioelectric energy into it, a blue blade of pure energy extended from the actual blade itself, increasing sharpness and its length by a few inches.

The Archon cackled. "After this, when they speak of you," the Kett unsheathed his own blade. And flared up his corrupted orange-red bioelectrical aura; illuminating his dark eyes, black skin, bony crest, and green armor. "they will only speak of how you begged for Exaltation. And I, being a merciful Archon, obliged."

Jaal leaped at the Archon, blade glowing bright blue. "You Stars-damned skkutting monster!" Blue clashed against orange-red. "I would never accept your so-called 'gift!'"

Their auras flared bright, blades clashing, parrying and blocking. Despite the Archon's own injuries inclusive of multiple wounds from weapons fire, third degree burns to parts of his face, blunt-force trauma, and damage to his armor; the Archon still has strength and speed.

Jaal jumped back to put distance between himself and his foe, he winced in pain and trembled. _Skkut! _He had numerous slashes on his body now, and could feel the aftereffects of the corrupted bioelectrics. _He intends to make me suffer, kill me by inches._

The Archon grinned. "And your life-force is mine!" He gathered energy into his hand, a sickening dull green-yellow glow, and swung his arm. The energy shot out, connected by a thread.

_No! _Jaal dodged to the side, and the energy attack still snagged onto his shoulder, and he felt his bioelectricity being drained. He whipped his rifle off his back with his free hand, aimed one-handed, and fired the last round.

The Archon lurched backwards and a spray of green blood from where his left eye was. The thread was broken and the energy dissipated. The Kett laid prone on his back for a moment, twitched, then pulled himself to his feet.

Jaal's eyes widened and he drew a shuddering breath. _What the skkut is he?! _

SAM intoned. "Jaal, don't let him unnerve you. Most likely a passive ability. Massive trauma should do it."

The Archon glared, blood streaming from his burnt missing eye. "I will drain you dry. And enjoy it!" He made the same gesture.

Jaal quickly threw aside his rifle and jumped behind a Remnant blast shield. And saw wisps of the technique flow around the shield.

Once it was all gone, he jumped from cover to cover quickly.

SAM intoned, tone urgent. "Jaal, watch ou-!"

The Angara felt a surge of electricity and white-hot pain, he went flying backwards. And saw, far too late to dodge, a blade of red-orange-white energy heading straight for him.

He slammed into a large Remnant blast shield, and the blade of energy sliced in deep, though his armor took some of the impact.

SAM's tone was of utmost urgency. "Hurry. Sakura doesn't have long left."

Despite near-blinding pain and slightly blurred vision, Jaal quickly picked up his dropped firaan and staggered to his feet.

The Archon laughed, then readied and sent out the same life-draining technique, blade in his other hand.

Jaal's vision refocused, he could feel slight weakness. _It's now or never, for all of us. _The Angara flared up his bioelectric aura with every bit of strength he could muster, and dashed straight at the Archon. "This ends now!" He powered his way through the dreadful technique, grabbed the Archon by the shoulder, and thrust his blade into the monster's chest.

And moved just enough to ensure the Archon's blade stabbing him through the abdomen didn't damage his spine, narrowly missing it. And felt a terrible agony of decay spreading, he glanced at the blade and saw the black-gray-orange aura responsible for the cell-degeneration.

The Archon had a look of glee. "You're finished!"

Jaal pushed past the terrible agony, glaring at the Archon. "The Angara," he pushed in as much bioelectricity into the blade as possible, "won't give in!" The energy buildup exploded outward.

The Archon gasped in pain, part of his back blown out along with chunks of his lungs and heart. "H-How?!" His grip on the blade slackened and he coughed blood. "How did I lose...to a filthy Angara?!" He staggered and fell backwards to the ground. And soon breathed his last.

SAM was heard. "Cell degradation has stopped. Medical teams are en-route."

"Thank the stars."Jaal coughed, and could feel the taste of blood in his mouth, and put a hand around the blade in his abdomen and pressed to slow the blood loss.

The Angara walked to Meridian's control panel, staggering slightly with each weakening step, and saw the communications were active.

Jaal placed his free hand on the console itself for support, his voice weary. "It's over. The Archon is dead. We've won, we're free."


End file.
